Jeremy Lin's name trademarked in China before `Linsanity' spread

2012/02/21 19:24:43

Taipei, Feb. 21 (CNA) Long before Jeremy Lin rocked the world with his miraculous NBA rise over the past few weeks, a sports company owner in China had the idea that the name would one day be a sensation in the sports world and trademarked it in the China market.

Yu Minjie, owner of the company in Wuxi, in eastern China's Jiangsu Province, last year registered "Jeremy S.H.L 林書豪 (Chinese characters)" as a trademark, according to a report on the website of the People's Daily newspaper.

Yu spent 4,460 yuan (US$708) to obtain a 10-year ownership of the trademark, which he is allowed to use on products ranging from apparel, shoes and caps to sports balls, game devices and toys, the report said.

Now that the Harvard boy is a big star, various enterprises have revealed their intention to buy the trademark from Yu as the "Linsanity" craze spreads, the report went on.

However, Yu said she had not yet received any bids for the trademark.

The 23-year-old New York Knicks point guard, the NBA's only Taiwanese American, applied Feb. 13 to trademark "Linsanity." He was reported to have applied with an application fee of US$1,625 for the use of the name on apparel and other products, including mascot figures, drinks and backpacks.

The People's Daily Online report cited Lu Min, a Chinese lawyer, as saying that if Lin wants to use Yu's trademark in China, he will need to obtain authorization from her company.

Forbes magazine has assessed the Lin name to be valued at around US$16 million, the report said.